According to preliminary figures published by the the Flemish tourist board Visit Flanders on Tuesday, 3% more tourists holidayed our region in 2025 than was the case in 2024. The number of overnight stays also increased to 36.3 million last year.
The majority of foreign visitors came from neighbouring countries. In 2025, 1.9 million visitors came to Flanders from the Netherlands. 1.1 million German tourists visited Flanders, and we welcomed 1 million tourists from France.
International tourists primarily visit the cities with a a lot of cultural heritage such as Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven and Mechelen. Meanwhile, visitors from elsewhere in Belgium tend to favour the coastal resorts of West Flanders. West Flanders was the province with the largest number of tourists (4.3 million in 2025).
Antwerp Province was the second most popular destination with 2.7 million visitors last year. Flanders other 3 provinces welcomed around 1.5 million visitors each.
Our region’s museums and attractions welcomed 27.4 million visitors (+0.9%). Just under 40% of visits were to outdoor attractions, including amusement parks, zoos and recreation or nature parks. Museums accounted for 6.8 million visitors.